POOR QUALITY PAINT

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 148, 18 March 1939, Page 7

POOR QUALITY PAINT

Motorists Complain

FADED NUMBER PLATES

Criticism of the quality of the paint used on the present motor-vehicle num-ber-plates was contained in a letter from the Automobile Association (Wanganui) read at the half-yearly meeting of the North Island Motor Union in 'Wellington this week. The plates had faded to such an extent that, in many cases, the numbers were hardly distinguishable, the letter stated. Mr. R. W. Roydhouse (Wairarapu) said that the plates were Government property and lie questioned whether a motorist would have any right to interfere with them and to repaint them. A case had occurred in Masterton where a Wellington motorist bad been stopped and told lie would have to have his plates painted before lie came that way again. Whose was the responsibility? The responsibility certainly lay on the motorist not to allow the plates to become obscured, but he could not interfere with them as they did not belong to him. Mr. W. H. Brown said that motorists need have no fear that the poor quality of the paint would not be rectified. There had been so many complaints and so many applications for new plates—which had to be supplied free of charge—that he was sure it would be attended to. On the motion of Mr. W. A. O’Callaghan (past-president) it was decided to bring the position under the notice of the licensing authorities.